Get an LG G3 5.5-inch smartphone and free service for $124.99

From the Cheapskate: Seriously? Seriously! This 2014 flagship still has plenty to offer the 2016 user. The only question mark is coverage. Plus a wireless mouse for five bucks.

For a limited time, and while supplies last, Daily Steals has the refurbished LG G3 smartphone with free service for $124.99 shipped. That’s after applying promo code Cheap5Off at checkout. It’s available in black or gold, and it originally sold for $600.

That was back in 2014, when the G3 debuted to almost universal acclaim. Said CNET at the time: “The LG G3 has what it takes to be a top-ranked flagship smartphone for 2014.”

Ah, but what about here in 2016? Please. The G3 is still a big, beautiful powerhouse capable of the same feats of smartphone wizardry as any modern model. Well, perhaps with one exception: It comes with Android 4.4, upgradeable to 5.0, but at this writing I can’t find any indication that Marshmallow (i.e. 6.0) is available for it — yet. Will it be at some point? Probably, because it’s just starting to roll out to the G3 on other carriers.

If you want to know more about the G3, check out the aforementioned CNET review. Verdict: an 8.7 rating (out of 10), the only real complaint being battery life. But because the G3’s battery is removable, just pack a spare! (That also solves another issue with refurb phones: You can easily refresh it with a brand new battery.)

Now for the service part of the equation. Regular readers may have guessed: It’s FreedomPop. The bundled freebie plan includes 200 voice minutes, 500 SMS texts and 500MB of 4G LTE data. If that’s not enough, you can get unlimited talk and texts and 1GB of data for $20 per month.

You can also leverage the FreedomPop app for unlimited free calls and messages to other FreedomPop users.

I know some folks have had issues with FreedomPop, mostly dealing with coverage or customer service. If you’re mostly connected to Wi-Fi anyway (like at home and in the office), Sprint’s fairly mediocre coverage is less of an issue. And, thankfully, Daily Steals provides a 30-day money-back guarantee, ample time to make sure you’re getting the service you need.

I think this would make for a great backup phone, or perhaps a first phone for your teenager. The G3 itself is a knockout bargain, and even if service proves less than stellar, it’s not costing you anything. (From what I understand, however, you need to stick with FreedomPop for six months before they’ll unlock the phone for use with another carrier.)

Lots to digest, here, but still an amazing deal in my opinion. Your thoughts?

Bonus deal: I know from a previous deal that many of you love your mice — especially when they’re five bucks. Like this one: PictekDirect (via Amazon) has the Pictek 2.4GHz wireless optical 6-button mouse for $4.99 when you apply coupon code I5UWUD2W at checkout. Shipping is free for Prime subscribers.

This jet-black wheel mouse features adjustable DPI (up to 2,400), a nano USB receiver and an 18-month warranty. What’s not to like?

I actually owned the LG G3 for 2 years until it started having connectivity issues a few weeks ago. I absolutely loved that device. QHD 5.5″, 3GB ram, 32GB onboard with SD support. And I received marshmallow (6.0) for my Att unit back in March so it should get the latest version of Android no doubt. Definitely still a great buy.

“I know some folks have had issues with FreedomPop, mostly dealing with coverage or customer service.”

We got a GSM SIM and the biggest issue is that the FreedomPop app REPLACES your phone “app” since all calls now go over data. If you want to use your contacts, you have to give them access to your contacts, for instance. And things simply aren’t as well integrated with your phone’s OS now that all calls and texts go through the random app.

The LG G3 was on my short list when i was looking for a phone a few months ago. I went with the G4. It is a pretty good phone, but I really don’t like the power button on the back.

Also, who knows what’s up with android phone displays not turning on sometimes? Is it an android thing? Or do I have an app installed that causes it. At least 3 of the 4 android phones i’ve had did this. 2 were cheap phones bought new. And one was a hand me down better brand and i can’t recall if it did that or now. And now my LG G4. Which was supposedly a T-Mobile store demo but didn’t look like it had ever been touched. definitely never activated

@betterways WARNING about the G4: You need to make sure you have everything on your phone backed up because there’s unfortunately a hardware issue (not software issue) that has absolutely plagued the G4. I personally know 5 people (including myself) who have had this happen and 4 of those people got the phone at my recommendation It causes the phone to randomly turn off at some point and never be able to boot up again. It’s pretty much inevitable and even warranty-replaced phones like my friend’s are susceptible.

As for the power button, why do you need the power button? You can just double tap on the screen to wake it up and double tap on the home screen or notification bar to turn it off. I miss that about my G4 since I’ve switched to the Nexus 6P to avoid the ticking time bomb. I haven’t ever experienced the issue (at least on a more-than-once-in-a-long-while basis) that you’re talking about with the display not turning on.

I got this mouse the last time you mentioned it. Only had it about 2 weeks and it’s great. Was hoping you’d mention it again as it was such a deal but by the time I tried to buy it, it was no longer available. My first one replaced an Intellimouse from Microsoft and has the extra buttons in the exact spot – just as comfortable too. Too bad I missed the deal.

STAY AWAY FROM FreedomPop! Thought it would be worth the hassle for my teenager. Customer no-service reps lie to get you off the phone with them. Almost never respond to emails, or dont answer the question when they do. Only way to get one on phone is to select “sales” option on phone. FP sent me a broken phone, so one rep gave me an address in Plainfield Indiana and suggested I go there for a replacement. Turns out to be their 3rd party hardware partner’s refurbishment warehouse. The gentleman who handles the FP account was in an office 15 minutes away. He was really nice and apoligized that I was told to go there. Took the broken phone and said they would ship a replacement right away. They did. Unfortunately FP cancelled my $20 unlimited plan during this time. When they started it back up it was billed at $25. Called and emailed for months. Finally was told there would be a credit and my monthly charge would go back down to $20. Great big fat lie! They never did anything. Finally had enough and took a couple weeks to port the number out.

I just spent 2 months trying to get FreedomPop to work, finally found out that my new Blu GSM phone won’t work on it. I just got a Ting sim card in the mail and so I’m going from world’s worst phone customer support to the best.

@vandammes Ting is very good. I ended up switching to US Mobile (a T-Mobile MVNO like Ting) with similar good customer service and even lower rates, and a unique option to choose your own service plan, that you can change at any time.

Are you sure that this LG G3 is using Freedompop’s “Sprint” network? They’ve recently been dabbling in GSM sim cards that use AT&T’s networks as well. I bought a few of their “global” sim cards to use during a recent trip in Mexico…because it listed Mexico as one of the countries the “global” sim works in. What they don’t tell you (ANYWHERE) on their site is that it only works in certain places in Mexico. For example, in one of the most popular vacation destinations (CANCUN)…the sim did not work for me. Neither did their SPRINT service BTW. I stopped service on every sim except one. I keep one sim to accumulate data for the kids to use stateside.

Wow, this is getting weird…also coincidentally, i bought the LG G3 directly from Freedom Pop yesterday for my Mom as a replacement phone on Freedom Pop for her SS Galaxy S3 that finally took a dump. They have a deal directly on for $99 on the LG G3 and i paid a total of $108 with California tax with Free Shipping! So, call them directly. Yes, i know it’s tough to find a phone number, but i have that as well! 1-888-743-8107. Love finding a better deal than Rick!! Good luck everyone!

I purchased the Pictek mouse the last time Rick featured it. Actually I purchased 2 by mistake. They’re great little mice for daily use or simply portability. It’s a bit smaller than my daily driver (because it’s a portable mouse), but it is large enough to eventually feel comfortable as a daily driver. The range is pretty nice, it’s responsive and works pretty well.

My only gripe is that after 5-minutes or so of not using it, it takes a few seconds to recognize it’s being used again. But while you’re using it, there are no problems. It’s also pretty well-built. I dropped mine down 2 flights of concrete stairs and it’s nicely scratched and scuffed but still working.

@TheOnlyBuster If it makes you feel any better my Logitech spiffy-colored mouse does the same thing – it takes a few seconds to wake up. I blame this on my laptop more than the mouse – it’s like the laptop is saying ‘Oh, you’re still here mouse..’

@TheOnlyBuster That’s probably a battery saving feature. I use a Merkury mouse with auto sleep to click on websites on my Chromebook, that’s wired directly into my dumb TV. It’s been well over a year and I haven’t replaced the batteries yet.

@ursridhar As bajaboy2000 pointed out, it’s likely a power-saving feature. The problem is quickness of it “waking” is roughly the same whether I sporadically move the mouse or press the mouse buttons. Though I have noticed that pressing the CPI button wakes it the quickest

I coincidentally bought two of these Mice (or is it Meeces?) two weeks ago radomly on Amazon for $6 each and they are really really nice. They connect quickly on BT and have a nice feel in your hand. Rick, you owe me 2 bucks!

My take on the mouse; at $4.99, it’s a very low risk deal. If I let it sit in a desk draw for several months as a backup, I’ve risked $4.99. If I don’t care for it, I’ve lost very little. Not having a backup would create some difficulty as I work on my computer every day, all day. I still have some old wired mice but that’s a poor substitute these days.

We once bought a refurb phone from Daily Steals and the battery was junk. While they offer a 30 day return policy, check to see who is paying for return postage. And get your return started early because it takes 2-3 days for every email to get answered from them too. We have bought several new items from Daily Steals and have been happy. I’d recommend taking a pass on this particular offer.

Q about your experience w/Pebble smart watches & iPhones. Will they likely play nice together or not? I was on the edge of buying yesterday and remembered you mentioning they didn’t always pair well and sometimes dropped link. Still true? Or has Pebble updated their firmware to accommodate to the iOS phones? By the time I thought I’d do the buy, they stocked out. Seemed like Providence at the moment. So where’s your experience w/Pebble/iPhones rest for a bottom line call? Thanks!!

FreedomPop is the WORST!! Customer support is via 3 day delayed email ONLY. Service is spotty at best, even in a full signal area. Your phone is slaved to FreedomPop network – other SIMS will not work. I had bought a phone to use as a backup, emergency phone. The hassles I have had trying to get minimal service over the past 2 years have far outweighed any “free” offer.

@bajaboy2000Their plan offerings can be confusing. About every 3 weeks, they offer new free plans that usually require ~$30 activation fee that they call “Top Up,” which then acts like a debit card balance. If you use more data/minutes/txt than your plan offers, it’ll deduct from that balance. When that balance hits $0, it’ll auto charge the credit card you registered with to “Top Up” your balance. The amount of the Top Up charge is specified when you sign up for a plan. If you get good Sprint coverage from those carriers, you’ll probably get similar coverage.

@usckid How does RingPlus work? I’ve visited their site and can make no sense of it. The zip code checker says it won’t work in my area, but I am using Sprint based Republic Wireless and FreedomPop with no problems.

Freedom Pop? NO WAY!! We had a frustrating experience with Freedom Pop in just getting the new phone to connect to their service. When another offer came along, we tried again (with our previously bought Freedom phone) and despite several calls which all were “cut off” somehow, we just gave up. We award Worst Customer Service to Freedom Pop!

I post this only to forewarn my fellow cheapskates and others. Maybe they have improved in the last couple of years but you have been forewarned.

I’ve not had the LG G3 but I loved my LG G2. I had many problems suddenly hit it after 28 months of use, but for the first little over 2 years of use it was a wonderful phone without issues. I’d recommend LG based on previous experience.

/ I recommend avoiding the LG G4 though (which by all accounts is a veritable train-wreck).

I actually owned the LG G3 for 2 years until it started having connectivity issues a few weeks ago. I absolutely loved that device. QHD 5.5″, 3GB ram, 32GB onboard with SD support. And I received marshmallow (6.0) for my Att unit back in March so it should get the latest version of Android no doubt. Definitely still a great buy.

“I know some folks have had issues with FreedomPop, mostly dealing with coverage or customer service.”

We got a GSM SIM and the biggest issue is that the FreedomPop app REPLACES your phone “app” since all calls now go over data. If you want to use your contacts, you have to give them access to your contacts, for instance. And things simply aren’t as well integrated with your phone’s OS now that all calls and texts go through the random app.

The LG G3 was on my short list when i was looking for a phone a few months ago. I went with the G4. It is a pretty good phone, but I really don’t like the power button on the back.

Also, who knows what’s up with android phone displays not turning on sometimes? Is it an android thing? Or do I have an app installed that causes it. At least 3 of the 4 android phones i’ve had did this. 2 were cheap phones bought new. And one was a hand me down better brand and i can’t recall if it did that or now. And now my LG G4. Which was supposedly a T-Mobile store demo but didn’t look like it had ever been touched. definitely never activated

@betterways WARNING about the G4: You need to make sure you have everything on your phone backed up because there’s unfortunately a hardware issue (not software issue) that has absolutely plagued the G4. I personally know 5 people (including myself) who have had this happen and 4 of those people got the phone at my recommendation It causes the phone to randomly turn off at some point and never be able to boot up again. It’s pretty much inevitable and even warranty-replaced phones like my friend’s are susceptible.

As for the power button, why do you need the power button? You can just double tap on the screen to wake it up and double tap on the home screen or notification bar to turn it off. I miss that about my G4 since I’ve switched to the Nexus 6P to avoid the ticking time bomb. I haven’t ever experienced the issue (at least on a more-than-once-in-a-long-while basis) that you’re talking about with the display not turning on.

I got this mouse the last time you mentioned it. Only had it about 2 weeks and it’s great. Was hoping you’d mention it again as it was such a deal but by the time I tried to buy it, it was no longer available. My first one replaced an Intellimouse from Microsoft and has the extra buttons in the exact spot – just as comfortable too. Too bad I missed the deal.

STAY AWAY FROM FreedomPop! Thought it would be worth the hassle for my teenager. Customer no-service reps lie to get you off the phone with them. Almost never respond to emails, or dont answer the question when they do. Only way to get one on phone is to select “sales” option on phone. FP sent me a broken phone, so one rep gave me an address in Plainfield Indiana and suggested I go there for a replacement. Turns out to be their 3rd party hardware partner’s refurbishment warehouse. The gentleman who handles the FP account was in an office 15 minutes away. He was really nice and apoligized that I was told to go there. Took the broken phone and said they would ship a replacement right away. They did. Unfortunately FP cancelled my $20 unlimited plan during this time. When they started it back up it was billed at $25. Called and emailed for months. Finally was told there would be a credit and my monthly charge would go back down to $20. Great big fat lie! They never did anything. Finally had enough and took a couple weeks to port the number out.

I just spent 2 months trying to get FreedomPop to work, finally found out that my new Blu GSM phone won’t work on it. I just got a Ting sim card in the mail and so I’m going from world’s worst phone customer support to the best.

@vandammes Ting is very good. I ended up switching to US Mobile (a T-Mobile MVNO like Ting) with similar good customer service and even lower rates, and a unique option to choose your own service plan, that you can change at any time.

Are you sure that this LG G3 is using Freedompop’s “Sprint” network? They’ve recently been dabbling in GSM sim cards that use AT&T’s networks as well. I bought a few of their “global” sim cards to use during a recent trip in Mexico…because it listed Mexico as one of the countries the “global” sim works in. What they don’t tell you (ANYWHERE) on their site is that it only works in certain places in Mexico. For example, in one of the most popular vacation destinations (CANCUN)…the sim did not work for me. Neither did their SPRINT service BTW. I stopped service on every sim except one. I keep one sim to accumulate data for the kids to use stateside.

Wow, this is getting weird…also coincidentally, i bought the LG G3 directly from Freedom Pop yesterday for my Mom as a replacement phone on Freedom Pop for her SS Galaxy S3 that finally took a dump. They have a deal directly on for $99 on the LG G3 and i paid a total of $108 with California tax with Free Shipping! So, call them directly. Yes, i know it’s tough to find a phone number, but i have that as well! 1-888-743-8107. Love finding a better deal than Rick!! Good luck everyone!

I purchased the Pictek mouse the last time Rick featured it. Actually I purchased 2 by mistake. They’re great little mice for daily use or simply portability. It’s a bit smaller than my daily driver (because it’s a portable mouse), but it is large enough to eventually feel comfortable as a daily driver. The range is pretty nice, it’s responsive and works pretty well.

My only gripe is that after 5-minutes or so of not using it, it takes a few seconds to recognize it’s being used again. But while you’re using it, there are no problems. It’s also pretty well-built. I dropped mine down 2 flights of concrete stairs and it’s nicely scratched and scuffed but still working.

@TheOnlyBuster If it makes you feel any better my Logitech spiffy-colored mouse does the same thing – it takes a few seconds to wake up. I blame this on my laptop more than the mouse – it’s like the laptop is saying ‘Oh, you’re still here mouse..’

@TheOnlyBuster That’s probably a battery saving feature. I use a Merkury mouse with auto sleep to click on websites on my Chromebook, that’s wired directly into my dumb TV. It’s been well over a year and I haven’t replaced the batteries yet.

@ursridhar As bajaboy2000 pointed out, it’s likely a power-saving feature. The problem is quickness of it “waking” is roughly the same whether I sporadically move the mouse or press the mouse buttons. Though I have noticed that pressing the CPI button wakes it the quickest

I coincidentally bought two of these Mice (or is it Meeces?) two weeks ago radomly on Amazon for $6 each and they are really really nice. They connect quickly on BT and have a nice feel in your hand. Rick, you owe me 2 bucks!

My take on the mouse; at $4.99, it’s a very low risk deal. If I let it sit in a desk draw for several months as a backup, I’ve risked $4.99. If I don’t care for it, I’ve lost very little. Not having a backup would create some difficulty as I work on my computer every day, all day. I still have some old wired mice but that’s a poor substitute these days.

We once bought a refurb phone from Daily Steals and the battery was junk. While they offer a 30 day return policy, check to see who is paying for return postage. And get your return started early because it takes 2-3 days for every email to get answered from them too. We have bought several new items from Daily Steals and have been happy. I’d recommend taking a pass on this particular offer.

Q about your experience w/Pebble smart watches & iPhones. Will they likely play nice together or not? I was on the edge of buying yesterday and remembered you mentioning they didn’t always pair well and sometimes dropped link. Still true? Or has Pebble updated their firmware to accommodate to the iOS phones? By the time I thought I’d do the buy, they stocked out. Seemed like Providence at the moment. So where’s your experience w/Pebble/iPhones rest for a bottom line call? Thanks!!

FreedomPop is the WORST!! Customer support is via 3 day delayed email ONLY. Service is spotty at best, even in a full signal area. Your phone is slaved to FreedomPop network – other SIMS will not work. I had bought a phone to use as a backup, emergency phone. The hassles I have had trying to get minimal service over the past 2 years have far outweighed any “free” offer.

@bajaboy2000Their plan offerings can be confusing. About every 3 weeks, they offer new free plans that usually require ~$30 activation fee that they call “Top Up,” which then acts like a debit card balance. If you use more data/minutes/txt than your plan offers, it’ll deduct from that balance. When that balance hits $0, it’ll auto charge the credit card you registered with to “Top Up” your balance. The amount of the Top Up charge is specified when you sign up for a plan. If you get good Sprint coverage from those carriers, you’ll probably get similar coverage.

@usckid How does RingPlus work? I’ve visited their site and can make no sense of it. The zip code checker says it won’t work in my area, but I am using Sprint based Republic Wireless and FreedomPop with no problems.

Freedom Pop? NO WAY!! We had a frustrating experience with Freedom Pop in just getting the new phone to connect to their service. When another offer came along, we tried again (with our previously bought Freedom phone) and despite several calls which all were “cut off” somehow, we just gave up. We award Worst Customer Service to Freedom Pop!

I post this only to forewarn my fellow cheapskates and others. Maybe they have improved in the last couple of years but you have been forewarned.

I’ve not had the LG G3 but I loved my LG G2. I had many problems suddenly hit it after 28 months of use, but for the first little over 2 years of use it was a wonderful phone without issues. I’d recommend LG based on previous experience.

/ I recommend avoiding the LG G4 though (which by all accounts is a veritable train-wreck).